Stepping Stones of Frozen Water
by TideDrop
Summary: Love is a strange thing. Anyone can be crushed by it, only to get back up and fall in love again. Main pairing is HitsuOC. CURRENTLY DISCONTINUED.
1. Frustration

**Fourth fanfic on this website. I started this a long time ago, and it's been through three rewrites. I've been rewriting it again, because the Mary Sue litmus tests showed me where I was going.**

**I guess this chapter is just here for the sake of… cuteness? **

**Enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, and never will.**

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"MATSUMOTO!!! Get moving _right now_!" Matsumoto Rangiku jerked awake to the melodic tones of her patient, soft-spoken captain.

"You should have been up an HOUR ago!!!" Hitsugaya Toushirou continued his tirade as he raced around the tenth squad office, yanking the curtains open. She squinted as the harsh sunlight hit her eyes.

"Aaagh... taichou, it's so bright..."

"I have a meeting today! The mission forms need to be filled out! _Look at the time!_" the prodigy yelled, not paying any attention to her. "And _you _are _drunk_! _Again!_"

Matsumoto struggled to kick her brain into working mode. Alcohol and sleep clouded her thoughts. She pinched her arm in an attempt to rouse herself.

Meanwhile, Hitsugaya was hurrying, trying to complete papers, swear, and yell at his fukutaichou simultaneously."I don't have enough time to do this! _You _finish these forms! If you don't, I'll-"

He suddenly stopped. A bun-haired girl in Shinigami attire had entered the room."Shiro-chan? I heard someone yelling in here. Is everything all right?" Hinamori Momo asked, looking worried.

Her friend immediately regained his composure. "Everything's fine, Hinamori. I was just trying to finish some work."

Matsumoto smirked. Only an ignorant idiot wouldn't have heard of her captain's supposed crush on the fifth squad fukutaichou. Almost everyone agreed that the rumor was true. All, that is, except the subjects of the gossip.

Hinamori apprehensively nodded. "Um, okay. If you're sure, Shiro-chan-"

"Hitsugaya-taichou."

"Yes, Hitsugaya-taichou. Anyway, I was just wondering. Kira-kun and I are going for a walk. Would you like to come with us?"

The questions brought his feverishly stressed mind to a screeching halt. Here was a chance to spend time with her, observe that earnest, adorable manner that was all Hinamori. He desperately wanted to say yes, but he knew in his quickly sinking heart that he couldn't.

Hiding his disappointment, the captain replied, "I-can't, Hinamori. I have a meeting," silently cursing it. He quickly scanned her face to see her reaction to this news. Did she look disappointed because her love for him was the same as his was for her? Or only because they were friends? He couldn't tell.

"Oh. Okay, then. I'll see you later, Shir-"

"Hitsugaya-taichou."

"I'm sorry, Hitsugaya-taichou! I keep forgetting!"

"It's fine," he said gruffly, inwardly loving the cute way she apologized.

After Hinamori exited, Matsumoto pounced on her captain. "'_I have a meeting_'! Jeez, I could have gone _for _you, and then you would have been free to stroll Soul Society with the love of your life!"

"Shut up. Do the paperwork." He was about to leave when his fukutaichou suddenly noticed an important fact.

"Hey, taichou," she said slowly. "Why are you rushing around? Normally on my hangover days, you let me sleep in while you finish the paperwork. _Unless_...you woke up late. And maybe you did _that_ because..." An evil smile was spreading. "... You were dreaming about, oh, I don't know, a certain person-"

"_Shut up!_" He shunpoed away before she could see his burning cheeks.

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**Yeah, the OC's not in this chapter. But she'll be in it soon.**

**Review, please. Thanks.**

**TideDrop**


	2. Season's Greetings

**Thank you for the reviews, Mind Walking Rabid Squirrel and FireyFlames! I finally figured out how to fix the darn "long paragraph" thing…. **

**So here's my OC! Enjoy her shyness lol!**

**And now, without further ado, I present Chapter Two….**

**But I need to say I don't own Bleach first.**

**No, it wasn't rhymed intentionally.**

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"Hitsugaya-taichou. Please take a seat. I presume you received my message?" Yamamoto barely glanced up at the snowball entered.

"Yes, sir."

"Then that will save any unnecessary interruptions. I am sure you know what the topic is about?"

"Yes, sir. You stated in your message that a fourteenth squad will be created solely for the human world's protection. The division will help the advance guard."

Hitsugaya tried not to show it, but he rather resented the idea of assistance. Was he not capable of doing the job? Did Yamamoto think him too young to work alone?

The general seemed to know his thoughts, try as he might to hide them. "You are able, Hitsugaya-taichou, but surely you know it is impossible to guard all of Karakura on your own."

"I know." His curt voice signaled his dislike of the topic.

Yamamoto ignored his tone. "We have already chosen the captain and vice captain."

"Without consulting me?" Irritability was impossible to conceal now.

"Your hands were full, were they not? But the new officers will be on a trial period, so overall it is your choice whether to keep them or not."

"I see." He was still cross.

The door opened and a girl stepped in. Hitsugaya glanced at her disinterestedly. Just a messenger.

"Yamamoto-taichou? You sent for me?" She looked around uncomfortably, trying to make herself as conspicuous as possible.

"Yes. Hitsugaya-taichou, this is Seishin Kei, your new co-captain."

She smiled awkwardly and bowed, eyes moving continuously, finally settling on the floor. Fingers entwined nervously around dark hair as she stood stiffly at the doorway.

His initial reaction: _WHAT THE HELL?????_

This girl was an absolute mouse. What had made Yamamoto choose her over other more capable, experienced Shinigami?

"And this is her fuku-taichou, Hissori Takara."

He half-expected another timid female, but his expectations were wrong once more. A hazel-eyed brunette stepped inside, her no-nonsense demeanor evident at once. She surveyed him coolly and politely bowed her head smoothly.

More stupefied shock. How in the world was this calculating, self-assured Shinigami placed under the terrified one now receiving a captain's robe? It should have been the other way round, he thought.

"The fourteenth division arrangements are still being made, but they will be going with you to the human world, Hitsugaya-taichou. Report back in a week."

Still amazed, the snowball nodded and left. The other two turned to exit as well, but they were called back.

"Kei."

She looked back at the general, anxiety and anger flooding her navy eyes.

"Don't try and sit back in the shadows. Things will get worse if you do. You may resent me now for placing you in this position, but there is a reason I chose you. No one foresaw it; that includes the taichou who just walked out. Soul Society expects a lot from you; don't disappoint."

"H-hai, Yamamoto-taichou." Her face was passive, but she was boiling with frustration. She knewthat as a "grandfather figure", he had her best interests in mind, but still. It felt like he was spitefully forcing her into a position she _knew_ she couldn't fulfill.

"You are dismissed."

She fought an urge to slam the door as she left.

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**Hopefully it'll come together eventually.**

**Review, please! Thanks for reading!**

**TideDrop**


	3. Sweet Dreams

**Hm. Three. "Third time a charm." Isn't that saying interesting? Heh, sorry, random. Just thinking about how this is the third chapter, and that just popped into my brain.**

**Is this considered fluff? I don't think so. If you couldn't tell already, I'm not the type of person to write about making out. Why? Because I just don't want to.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach…. **

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Hitsugaya woke up once again to a sunny blue sky. Scowling, he dressed and grudgingly stepped outside into the warmth.

"Morning, Shiro-chan!"

He whipped around in surprise. Hinamori was heading towards him, waving. His heart started to race.

"Did you have a good night's sleep?" She peered anxiously at him. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine." _If you exclude the damn heat, lack of sleep, and oh, yeah, the fact that I love you,_ he added to himself.

"Do you have anything to do today? We could go for a walk today!"

"Just don't get us lost, Bed-Wetter Momo." He followed her nonetheless, careful to keep a considerable distance between them.

"Why are you so far away, Shiro-chan?" She closed the gap. Their hands accidentally brushed.

He didn't know how he got the courage to do what he did next. Instinct? Nervousness? At any rate, he found her fingers enclosed in his own.

She blushed pink, unable to look at him. Nevertheless, her pleasure was obvious.

He led her to a bench, sitting next to her on the warm wood, still holding hands. She seemed brave enough to look at him now, smiling happily up into his eyes.

"It's a nice day, isn't it, Shiro-chan?"

"For anyone who likes this kind of weather."

A pause. "Shiro-chan?"

"What?"

"You didn't correct me!"

"What do you mean?"

"You always tell me to call you 'Hitsugaya-taichou.' But I've been calling you 'Shiro-chan' ever since I saw you today."

"I stopped doing that a long time ago. You're horrible at breaking habits."

She smiled at this, moving closer to snuggle against him. He flushed.

"That's true, isn't it!" Her eyes softened. "But there's one routine I never want to stop, Shiro-chan."

"What?" He felt her moving closer.

"The habit of loving you." She placed her arms around his neck. Her face came closer still-

A dog barked.

His eyes jerked open. Why couldn't he breathe? His lips were gently touching white fabric.

Suddenly realizing what he was doing, he yelled and flung his pillow to the floor.

That was when he noticed that the room was brightly illuminated. The sun was high in the sky.

He quickly flipped open his phone to check the time. And freaked out.

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"Hitsugaya-taichou's sleeping in," Kei muttered to Takara. "When I read his mind, it was enveloped in a dream."

Takara smirked. "Long forgot we're supposed to be going to Karakura High, didn't he?"

"Of course. I think it's cute."

"So cute it makes me sick."

"No way! It doesn't make me- wait, is that him?"

"Yeah. What took you so long?" Takara called as the snowball caught up to them. She acted nonchalant, but he caught the knowing look in her eyes.

"Overslept." He hated to admit it. Of course, it was a good first impression on his new co-workers, wasn't it?

The vice-captain started to walk. "Let's go, before we're late."

Kei followed, looking like she was trying to hide behind Takara.

And once more Hitsugaya wondered what was going through Yamamoto's mind to pick a person like that for a taichou.

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**Nothing exceedingly important happens. I guess you could say it's a filler. But it's showing a nice little dream, and more of my OCs' personalities.**

**Yah, I know there's a Mary Sue element in here, the "oh my gosh, the OCs have mystical powers no one knows about and act like they know everything!" one, but this isn't to show off their cool factor and omniscient-ness (that's not a word lol); it's something that will make them struggle and help them grow, I hope. **

**Man, that was a long (and grammatically incorrect) sentence.**

**Review please!**

**TideDrop**


	4. Enter Hanabi

**Chapter Four. **

**It has been changed, obviously. Tell me what you think of this new version.**

**Thank you very much, KaRiSa and Okibimaru, for the reviews. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

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As they walked to school, Takara and Hitsugaya discussed Arrancar tactics, Kei following carefully behind.

"So where are the guard stationed?"

"Around the most crowded parts of Karakura Town."

"Okay... Kei, hurry up. You're lagging; stop being such a snail." Scowling, Kei walked faster to catch up. She hated it when Takara had the nerve to boss her around.

A cell phone rang. Hitsugaya glanced down at the screen. _Hinamori_.

Hurriedly turning away, he walked into an alley and flipped the phone open. "You're not supposed to be making calls to this phone."

"I know, I know. But I miss you, Shiro-chan! Things have been so dull without you!" His childhood friend's voice sent tingles down his spine.

"Why are you calling?"

"Because I miss you! And I have news!" She sounded extremely excited about something.

"Momo, it's not just _your_ news." To his horror, he recognized Kira's voice in the background.

His heart sinking, he tried to hide it anyway. "What? Make it fast."

"Okay. But first of all, I would like to apologize because I didn't tell you anything about it. Because I thought you don't care about that kind of thing anyway and I didn't know it was _actually_ going to happen and-"

He sighed impatiently, attempting to squash the dread inside.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll just say it, okay? But I'm so nervous!"

"Just say it." The longer she dawdled, the worse he felt.

"Kira-kun and I are... _TOGETHER!!!! A COUPLE!!! _Isn't that wonderful??"

_Click._

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The fourteenth squad members immediately noticed a change in the snowball when he returned.

"Something's wrong with him," Kei whispered to Takara, her navy eyes worried.

"_Of course_, Kei. Read his mind. See what happened?"

The dark-haired taichou stubbornly shook her head. "I won't, Takara. We barely know him and you're already invading his personal privacy."

"But you're dying to know, so I'll tell you. Hinamori got together with Izuru."

"But doesn't Hitsugaya-?"

"Of course."

"Poor Hitsugaya! We should-"

"No way are we going to go over and offer him sweet little words of comfort and offer him a box of tissues and a stuffed animal. Just ignore him. He'll get over it."

"You've never been in love, Takara.You don't understand. I'm going to help him, even if you won't."

"I hope you aren't going to coddle our squad like this."

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"Hello! You must be the new transfer students!" A brown haired woman beamed at them.

Hitsugaya already disliked her. Too-sunny smiles were never a good sign.

"Your names?"

"Hissori Takara."

"Seishin Kei."

"Hitsugaya Toushirou."

"Oh, very nice, very nice… but Toushirou, I would like that hair dye removed by next week, please. It's against the dress code and it looks silly on you."

Wrong move. A throbbing tic appeared on the prodigy's forehead.

"This _is_ my natural hair color."

She ignored his comment. "Get rid of it, please."

"Did you not _hear_ me, woman?" The room was rocked by a sudden chilly breeze.

"Hitsugaya-taichou…" Kei looked at him pleadingly. Mustering her courage to talk to him was extremely difficult, but she was even more afraid of making a scene.

He glanced around, rather shocked. She blushed bright red, so embarrassed she could barely speak. Takara rolled her eyes, knowing it had cost Kei a lot to utter two words.

The door suddenly opened. Everyone looked up expectantly.

There stood a girl, somewhat short for her age. Long blonde hair flowing around her, she stepped in, grey eyes coldly surveying the room. Her reiatsu followed, hitting the three Shinigami like a truck.

As she passed them, her lips curled into a smirk and spoke. "Nice to see you again, Takara, Kei."

Takara and Kei stared after her, eyes wide, mouths open. Sly smile still evident, the girl seated herself in a desk.

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**I suppose this is a cliffhanger? **

**I probably won't continue without reviews, so please do!**

**TideDrop**


	5. A Nice Little Reunion

**Chapter Five. **

**Willingly putting aside my study time for finals to write this. If my mom knew, I'd be dead already.**

**It's been a rocky week for me, one part being school stress. I can also feel traces of Writer's Block coming on. Hopefully when finals are over I'll feel like myself again.**

**BTW: I never took any Japanese lessons in my life, so I used an online Japanese-English dictionary for my OCs' names. Sorry if anything looks funky. **

**Thanks, guys, for the reviews! I know I say this every time, but I do mean it. **

**Disclaimer: On my profile.**

**Note: Bold font will be used whenever a Zanpaku-to is speaking.**

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"Y-you-" Kei spluttered, unable to utter anything else.

Takara forced a smile. "Sora Hanabi. It's- _nice_ to see you again." The word caught in her throat. She didn't mean it.

Hitsugaya blinked. He recognized that name. Hinamori had mentioned it countless times during their random conversations. "_Shiro-chan, you really should meet Hanabi-chan! She's so perky and fun! I can't believe you've never seen her before!"_

And then he remembered the announcement that had blared all over Soul Society a month ago:

"_Sora Hanabi, originally of the fifth division, has joined the traitor Sousuke Aizen. She returns to Soul Society under pain of death."_

Immediately on his guard, he too glanced at the girl suspiciously. She must have known that she was in danger. Why was she not hiding in Hueco Mundo and biding her time, like Ichimaru and the others?

"Mm. Too bad I can't return that greeting." Hanabi shrugged not-so-apologetically. She noticed the snowball, his expression cold as well. "Hitsugaya-taichou! Improved your Bankai yet? It wasn't much use last time I saw it. Of course you wouldn't have stood a chance against Aizen-sama either way, but -"she shrugged again.

The temperature in the room dropped further still. People began to shiver.

"And you think you're better, since you're under the service of your beloved bastard Aizen?" he snapped, instantly roused to anger. He hated her already, not just because she was a traitor, but because she had tricked Hinamori. Hinamori, who had praised her and spoke of her so frequently, would be heartbroken to see the true colors of this _despicable_ girl.

She merely smiled. "You can talk all you want now, _taichou_, but-"

"_Shut up, Hanabi_." Kei had found her voice at last. "You don't have any right to act so rudely."

Hanabi laughed. "Oh, sure. I'll be quiet and polite just because you told me to. You _know_ Aizen-sama will take control of everything. Why else would you be here on Earth, my darling ex friend? Scared that he'll eventually come here? Think you'll make a difference in his plans? I wouldn't be surprised if you thought so, you big-headed prig. You've always overestimated your abilities."

Kei was fighting rage now, but tears also threatened to spill. She couldn't believe the words she was hearing. She had always imagined Hanabi and Takara with her on the same side, battling their way through thick and thin _together_. Now that stupid, silly dream would never come to be. With an effort, she turned away and sat down at her desk, attempting to throw herself into the class work.

Hitsugaya kept a sharp eye on Hanabi throughout the lesson, who kept that insolent smile on for the whole time. He couldn't do anything to her _here_ without making a scene, and she knew it.

**Hey, Toushirou. Going to stand for those words? **

"I have to, Hyourinmaru."

**But she just insulted me! Can I kill her? Please?**

"No."

**Fine, fine… how about if I just freeze her head?**

"Won't she suffocate and die?"

**Yeah!**

"No. You're not permitted to touch her in any way."

**Awww… you're no fun!**

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Lunch, naturally, was a very tense scene.

With a clear view of Hanabi across the yard, talking to her friends, it only provoked the three Shinigami. Yamamoto's orders, after hearing Hitsugaya's account, were to follow her. That was all. Even Kei was disappointed by the general's lack of elaboration.

Kei and Hitsugaya were still bristling from the girl's words. Takara inwardly felt they both deserved it. She was secretly jealous of them both for being appointed captains. Hitsugaya seemed to possess the traits for a natural leader, but Kei was a different case. _She's too sympathetic, too afraid to take charge, too shy around people who aren't her friends_, Takara thought to herself. _Why didn't Yamamoto pick me? I could do a better job than her. I wouldn't treat my subordinates like kids. She would, no doubt about it._

"Takara?"

The brunette looked up. Kei was looking at her with that worried glance in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." Why would she spill to the person who was the cause of her envy? "I'm fine."

"Um, okay." The taichou wanted to probe some more, but decided against it and changed the subject. "Um… why do you think Hanabi came back? She's changed a lot, hasn't she?"

The snowball looked up. "That was something I was wondering. You were friends?"

Kei glanced at Takara, expecting her to answer. The latter sighed with impatience and sent a telepathic message: _For goodness sake, just TALK. There's nothing wrong with your mouth, is there?_

_But, Takara-_

_You're not mute, Kei. Don't make excuses. Shut up and just reply._

Slightly panicky, Kei talked to the floor, too shy to look up. "Y-yes. We were friends. We grew up together and attended Shinigami Academy."

"How long did you stay in the Academy? You look younger than most Shinigami."

"N-no. We graduated after two years."

"Do you know anything about Sora Hanabi's fighting style?"

"Um, not that much. She changed it completely after we joined fifth squad… but I know her sword's element is fire."

The bell rang.

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It wasn't hard to spot Hanabi in the crowd as people hurried to leave school grounds. Her long blonde hair easily indicated her position as she made her way out.

"Hurry! We can't lose sight of her!" Hitsugaya popped out of his gigai. The other two followed suit. "The gigais will be safe at Inoue Orihime's apartment."

"Hitsugaya-taichou, where's Matsumoto-fukutaichou?" Takara asked, suddenly noticing the busty vice captain's absence.

"Still in Soul Society, Hissori-fukutaichou, doing the paperwork that has piled up in my absence. She is being punished for going on a drinking binge which led to some…. consequences. She'll join us eventually."

Using the rooftops, they tailed Hanabi as she walked along the main road, then down a side street.

"What's she doing?" Takara hissed. "It's like she knows we're here."

"Yeah, I do. Have a problem with that?" Their prey was looking up at them, smirking. "I'm not _that _idiotic. I knew you wouldn't let me just walk away. But you have bigger things to worry about." She shunpoed, vanishing into the crowded square ahead.

And at that moment, three cell phones beeped.

"Three Hollows. Two in the same area." Takara surveyed her screen.

Hitsugaya glanced at his own. "Menos. We'll have to split up. Seishin-taichou, follow me. Hissori-fukutaichou, deal with the other one."

"And Hanabi?"

"We'll have to leave her."

They shunpoed away, leaving a hint of a breeze behind.

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**Well, there's another one finished. Much longer than my usual chapters.**

**Hopefully it's okay. Tell me what you think. **

**TideDrop**


	6. Disappointment and Disgust

**Chapter Six. Disclaimer: On profile.**

**Thank you for the reviews.**

**Anyway. I know there wasn't much going on before this. But my OCs' personalities are being shown (except for Kei, who refuses to come out of her shell and remains so dang shy). **

**This is my first fight scene ever written. So bear with me if there's anything you didn't like or if it was too fast.**

**So enjoy. **

**Note: Italics are Kei's thoughts.**

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When the two captains arrived at the scene, they saw two enormous Hollows, wreaking havoc on nearby buildings.

"Seishin-taichou, take the one on the left. Dispose of it as soon you can; we need to prevent any more damage done to this area."

"H-hai, Hitsugaya-taichou." Eager to please, Kei made up her mind to use her powers as she approached her Hollow. _I'll just blow it up. That'll be the easiest way. _

Feeling more confident, she concentrated, expecting the exhilarating rush that always accompanied the arrival of her mysterious powers. Still concentrating, she vaguely watched Hitsugaya release his Zanpaku-to and charge.

_Wait. Why isn't anything happening? Why am I not feeling anything? _

Focusing harder, she tried again.

Nothing.

_What happened? It's like... my powers are gone. No! No! You're just imagining things, Kei. Just keep trying. And then you'll be able to destroy that Hollow..._

She wasn't paying attention to the fact the Hollow already noticed her and had been advancing steadily. When she finally looked up and realized something was happening, it was only a few footsteps away.

_Come on! Come on! _Feeling panic settling in, she squeezed her eyes shut and stupidly kept trying, even though she knew deep in her heart it was no use. She kept hoping and waiting, disregarding all other alternatives out of pure stubborness.

An enormous hand reached towards her. She watched it, moving towards her, still wildly praying for a miracle, still attempting what she couldn't do.

Hitsugaya, still engaged in his own battle, turned around just in time to see the Hollow reaching for Kei, unmoving, her sword still in its sheath.

He dodged an attack and yelled at her. "SEISHIN, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? GET YOUR ZANPAKU-TO AND FINISH IT OFF!"

She remained immobile, staring as if in wonder.

"DAMN!" He swung at his Hollow wildly. But it leapt away, unfazed, and almost crushed him. He had to finish the fight and get to her. Fast. Sending a tower of ice upwards, he ended his battle.

But it was too late. The fingers were closing in, ready to pulverize what was in their grasp. He could already see the gruesome image in his mind. Desperately he shunpoed, trying to achieve the impossible and get her out of the line of fire, knowing all the while it was futile-

"_Rush, Kumo!" _Takara had arrived just in the nick of time. The blade of her Zanpaku-to blew apart, leaving the hilt. Her image became oddly distorted.

Face completely emotionless, she charged. Thrusting her hilt forward, she seemed to be sticking nothing into the Hollow's back. But as she made an upward motion with her arms, blood spurted everywhere.

The Menos crashed into the dust at Kei's feet. She seemed to have snapped out of her trance, now trembling as she stared down at the heap.

Her fukutaichou's back was turned. Takara dusted herself off. She waited for Kumo's blade to reappear. Then slowly, she faced Kei. Her face was still unreadable.

"Kei, I can't believe you. I really can't. What were you doing? You're so- OH, WHAT THE HELL!"

Hissori Takara had a reputation for being unflappable. She never raised her voice. She never got angry or became emotional. People had tried to provoke her on purpose, just to see what she was like in a temper. But she had never exploded.

If the rest of Soul Society was watching her now, they would have thought the world had ended. Because Hissori Takara was yelling her head off.

"HOW _DARE_ YOU? YOU-YOU- HOW COULD YOU JUST _STAND_ THERE? AND MAKE ME WATCH YOU GET KILLED?!?!? DID YOU _WANT_ TO DIE, YOU IDIOT?? I THOUGHT-I THOUGHT-"She raised her sword, almost as if to strike her best friend. "You-I just-"With a sob, she fell to her knees, her dark brown hair hiding her face.

Kei said nothing, still staring silently at the ground. Her eyes were glistening.

There was a pause, the only sound being the wind in the trees. Hitsugaya broke it.

"We need to go back to Inoue Orihime's apartment. Let's go."

His voice sounded the same as always, but as he turned away, silhouetted by the setting sun, Kei saw two expressions mingled in his eyes:

Disappointment and disgust.

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**Wow. I didn't expect all that to come out. **

**Kei's getting annoying, isn't she? She's even disappointing **_**me, **_**her creator. Pretty sad. But then again, that's why there's a little something called "character growth" which everyone goes through. **

**Review.**

**TideDrop**


	7. IchiRuki goodness

**Chapter Seven. Disclaimer on profile. **

**Okay, I have some things to say. **

**This chapter is ALL IchiRuki. My summary said there might be pairings. And there are. This is the second one. **

**It's fun to write these. Maybe just because I am a die-hard romance lover. **

**Anyway, just a switch of gears from what I usually for this story. Enjoy. **

**

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**Orihime opened the apartment door to find three Shinigami, two with whom she was unfamiliar with. "Hello, Hitsugaya-taichou! Oh, and you've brought visitors, too! Hello, nice to meet you!" 

Kei and Takara bowed politely, trying to ignore the noise in the background. Hitsugaya frowned. "What is all that screaming?"

"Oh, it's just Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san. They're arguing over what to cook for dinner tonight. Why they wanted to in the first place, I can't imagine."

_Because no one wants to eat what you cook,_ the snowball thought dryly.

As Orihime ushered them in, closing the door on the autumn chill, the angry words coming from the kitchen came into focus.

"Not _that_, you idiot! Do you KNOW what that is?"

"Yes, I do!"

"If you think that stuff's edible, you must be hatching a secret plan to murder us all! It doesn't make any difference to you, seeing as you're DEAD already, but I'd like to live at least a few more years! Shut up and let me concentrate!"

Tense silence for a few seconds.

"No!! Give me that, you stupid strawberry! I ought to stick you in a blender!"

"Exactly WHAT am I doing wrong?"

"You're adding too much of that! Get away! Let someone who knows what she's doing take over!"

"You're one to talk! You've never even TOUCHED a stove in your life! You don't even know the name of the stuff I'm adding!"

"I do too! That's called salt! I know that this is called too- a pan! And I'm going to attack you with it if you don't stop yelling!"

"Um… Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san?"

They turned around, both looking close to tearing the other up.

"We… have new visitors…" Orihime trailed off, looking slightly afraid. "Um… are we interrupting something?"

"No. We're done." Rukia said firmly. She glanced at Kei and Takara, and her expression lit up. "KEI! I can't believe it's you!"

Kei, rather freaked out by all the yelling, smiled nervously. "It's nice to see you again, Rukia." She timidly approached the shorter girl, and hugged her. A sudden odor ruined the moment.

"Something smells like its burning." Orihime glanced at the pot curiously. "Do you think-"

Rukia yanked the lid open and sniffed. "Ichigo, it's all YOUR fault!"

"Me? What did _I_ do?"

"You breathed on it!"

"What does that have to do with _anything_?"

"Simple. You destroy everything you touch."

Before another row could break out, Takara stepped in. "_I'll_ cook. Go relax."

* * *

"Who were those two?" Ichigo asked, stretching out on the love seat in the living room.

"Hissori Takara and Seishin Kei." Rukia plopped down next to him. "Kei and I are friends."

"She looked like she was going to have a seizure when she came in."

"That was because she saw your face," she instantly retorted. "You should go apologize for scaring her."

"Or maybe it was _your_ face. She was too polite to say anything, since she's your friend." They were now nose-to-nose.

"You're so unbearable! I can't imagine why I put up with you!" she stormed, furious.

He smirked.

In one fluid movement, he caught her chin with his hand and pulled her forward, meeting her lips with his.

Rukia gasped, surprised at first. But as she calmed down, she found herself kissing him back, her arms wrapping around his neck.

They sank back onto the couch, Ichigo on top, his hands pressed into her back. She closed her eyes, enjoying his touch-

"I can't find my cell phone. Do you know-?" Hitsugaya strode in, looking cross. He stopped, staring at the pair of them. His cheeks flushed pink. Without another word, he turned and thankfully rushed out the front door.

Rukia froze, unsure of what to do. Ichigo sighed and regretfully broke the kiss. As he left, he called over his shoulder.

"_That's_ why you put up with me, you baka."

* * *

**Writing this chapter was a nice break.**

**Review!**

**TideDrop**


	8. Reflections of a Green Snowball

**FIRSTLY, BEFORE I FORGET: Soon to be posted on my profile: The time frame of this story. Also information on Takara's Zanpaku-to.**

**I know, I know. There isn't much interaction between Hitsugaya and my OC yet. Heck, they barely even know each other. But I'm taking my time. I hate those HitsuXOC fanfics where they become friends in one stupendous, mind stimulating talk. **

**I thank my beta, Wry Bread! She said it was cheesy in some places. But while ****Toushirou seems cold and unsappy on the outside, I think he's inwardly cheesy. So enjoy lol! XD**

**Summary: Current pairings: MomoKira, IchiRuki. After their disappointing battle with the Hollows, fourteenth squad captain Kei, her vice captain/best friend Takara and Hitsugaya are at Orihime's apartment along with most of the gang.**

**Okay. On with it. Chapter Eight: Reflections of a Green Snowball.**

* * *

"Dinner, everyone!" Orihime called. 

As people seated themselves around the table, she didn't miss the sight of Ichigo gently pushing Rukia into the seat next to him.

Ignoring the jealous twinge in her stomach, she answered the unexpected knock at the door, staring in surprise at the visitor.

"Rangiku-san!"

"Missed me?" Matsumoto seized Orihime in a huge bear hug, the large assets of both women making it difficult to do.

"Of course! We were just about to start dinner." They entered the room where everyone was seated and waiting.

When the chorus of greetings had been said, the food was served. Matsumoto immediately noticed an absence.

"Where's my taichou? I wanted to rub it in his face that I got let off all the paperwork he left behind."

Rukia, who had been temporarily distracted by Ichigo's hand resting protectively on her knee, looked around as well. "And where's Kei? I just saw her heading outside."

"Oh, she's just having some alone time. She does that every time she's upset or wants to mope," Takara said, unfeelingly. "She'll come inside eventually."

Rukia frowned. She had never liked Takara because of the brunette's hardness and insensitivity. On the other hand, Takara thought Rukia rather fake and boring. As a result, the two put up with each other solely for Kei's sake.

"Hitsugaya-taichou is also outside. He looked rather disturbed by something, when I checked on him…"

Rukia blushed at Orihime's words. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice anything.

"… so they'll both be eating later then, I suppose."

Matsumoto's face retained its usual cheerful and laid-back expression, but inwardly she was worried. Try as Hinamori and Kira might to keep their news quiet (being extremely private people), it had spread like wildfire all over Soul Society in a week. No doubt Hitsugaya had heard of the new couple by now as well.

_Poor little guy,_ she thought. _I'll have to stop him from trying to drown himself in work. Maybe even fill out all those forms he's been stressing about…_

She threw up a little in her throat at the thought of it.

* * *

In front of Orihime's apartment, there was a sizable patch of grass and sidewalk, with a single street lamp. It was this that Hitsugaya leaned against, looking up at the night sky, his arms folded. 

That small, secluded space was his second most favorite location on Earth. Nothing could beat the special railing, of course, where he loved to watch the sunset. But the stars seemed to shine more brightly here than anywhere else. They twinkled back at him like millions of people in another world, making their presence known but never moving from their place in the heavens.

He had always loved the greatness of the sky. It made him feel so small, just another part of a vast puzzle. He loved how everything in nature seemed to fit together, how smoothly everything ran. Peace. Tranquility. Calm. He always appreciated those moments when he felt all three.

_Time for some entertainment_. Flipping open his cell phone, he decided to kill time playing his favorite game. That was when he noticed he had a voicemail message. Without thinking, he pressed the "Call" button.

"_Shiro-chan! Hi! It's Hinamori-"_

"_-and Kira-"_

"_-again! You must have bad reception on Earth, because our call got cut off! Anyway, sorry if we were bothering you, we just wanted to tell you our news! Oh, and by the way, how's Kei doing? Just wondering. And- what? Oh. Okay! Shiro-chan, we need to go! We'll catch up with you when you come back!" _

He slowly closed the phone and tossed it on the grass. Sliding down until he was sitting on a wooden crate, he cradled his head in his hands.

Just when he had forgotten the news, he had to be reminded again. By the guilty party, no less.

It wasn't their fault he was so unhappy. It wasn't their fault. He repeated the words to himself, over and over and over. But even though he made every last effort to believe it, he didn't. He couldn't. He wanted to skewer Kira for taking Hinamori away from him.

And in the deepest part of his heart, he secretly hated Hinamori too, because she had never noticed the lengths to which he had gone for her, proven his love, never saw that he cared.

When bullies had picked on Hinamori because she was so passive, he had tried to beat them up, child though he was. He had tried to stick by her side like an annoying shadow during their days at the Academy to protect her from harm. And being extremely suspicious of Gin's motives, he had warned the taichou that if Hinamori's blood was spilled, there would be retribution.

And then there was that event that was weighing over everyone's heads: the approaching winter war, caused by the leader of the traitors: Aizen, Hinamori's idol, whom she had trusted with everything she had. When he had revealed his true allegiances and destroyed Hinamori, Hitsugaya had attempted to attain vengeance for her, which resulted in a near scrape with death for both of them.

After all those instances, in which he had tried to be Hinamori's shield and guardian, what did she do?

She turned to someone else.

He had been trying to stifle his jealousy for months now, but it always slipped out in small ways: an overly sharp greeting to his rival, a rather extreme drop in climate when he wasn't let in on a private joke they shared, an extremely fragile temper on the days he saw them together. He desperately wished that the circumstances were different. But out of all the girls Soul Society had to offer, his heart was set on Hinamori. He loved her so much, at the exact moment she couldn't be his.

Rubbing his left eye impatiently, he decided to move to the roof for a better view. It would never do for him to be brood on something he could do nothing about. It would be better just to gaze and be comforted by the stars, temporarily pushing all his troubles to the back of his mind.

But as he took his first step on the tiles, he realized that his usual spot was already occupied by someone else.

* * *

**Whoo, long chapter! Difficult to write, too. **

**Review, or I shall be sad…T.T**

**TideDrop**


	9. Knocking Some Sense In

'**Tis Chapter Nine! **

**As I have said, the time frame and info on Takara's Zanpaku-to have been posted. **

**I'm tired, loooong day! Parade… marching for FOREVER, measly lunch… sitting in sun for three hours… -wilts-**

**When I was discussing my fanfic with Wry Bread ( my Beta), I asked her if Kei seemed a good match for Hitsu, to which she replied: "Well, if she had some semblance of a spine, then yes?" **

**True. Very true.**

**Anyway! Enjoy, people! Kei takes a much needed beating!**

**Remember: Bold means Zanpaku-to speech!**

**

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The figure turned around with a jerk of its head at the sound. It was Kei. Her streaming eyes and red nose made it obvious she had been crying.

Her eyes widened when she recognized the snowball. Hurriedly, she yanked herself to face forward once more, hurriedly wiping her face with her sleeve. She spoke, trying to sound casual. Her voice would be cracked, she knew, but nothing could be done about that now. "Is it time for dinner?"

"I don't know." Simple, yet honest.

Realization dawned on her. "You've been out here all this time, haven't you?" she demanded.

"Why else wouldn't I know the answer to your previous question?"

"So you heard me-_crying_ then? Came to investigate the noise?" She felt angry and embarrassed that he had found her in such a state. The two emotions always melted her shyness away into an irrational temper. But his next answer threw her off guard:

"No, I didn't."

She regained her composure in a few seconds. "Are you coming to lecture me about what happened today, then? Because you don't need to say anything! I saw your expression when we were leaving that stupid place! I _saw_, okay?" Her irritableness was starting to get the better of her. "You were angry, weren't you? I get it; I know why! Why don't you report me to Yamamoto and get rid of me as soon as you can!" She refused to look at him, glaring away into the distance, no longer crying.

He paused for a few seconds before speaking carefully to her resolutely turned back. "Yes. I was disappointed in your behavior this afternoon, to say the least. But... I'm not going to say anything to him yet."

Those words caused her to whip around again, her expression a mix of of relief and terror. "Why? Why won't you? I'll be happy to leave! At least Takara will get the position she _always_ wanted, and I'll be able to follow _other_ people's orders instead of having to make my _own_!"

Now he was getting annoyed. "Why did you become a captain then? It requires leadership and a sense of responsibility, none of which you have!"

Her voice rose. "You think I _wanted_ to become a captain?! I didn't want all this crap! It's not _my_ fault that Yamamoto chose me! I told him _specifically_ to choose Takara; she'd be much better than me as a taichou!"

"You certainly don't deserve the title! I don't know what's going through that man's mind, picking you out of all the better choices!"

He could practically see her temper being yanked up a few notches. Since she was aggravating him to no end, he didn't care. "I didn't _ask_ for this, okay? You-"

**Stick your foot in your mouth, Kei, before you say something you'll regret.**

"Why? He deserves it, Kaiyou!"

**Um, hello? **_**You**_** deserve the words **_**he's **_**saying. **

"How?"

**Because you're being a wimp, for one thing.**

"I am _not_ being a wimp! I am merely stating my capabilities as a person!"

**Uh, no you're not. You're being a wimp.**

"_Kaiyou!_ You're supposed to support me!"

**Not necessarily. **

"That's _really_ nice of you. You're supposed to be my friend!"

**But Kei, I **_**am **_**being a friend. I've been trying my hardest not to steer you wrong. You've trusted me before, haven't you? Isn't that how we achieved Bankai? Trust?**

"Yes."

**Don't give me that sulky look! Now, listen and do what I say.**

"Fine, fine."

**Apologize. And ask for help.**

"NO WAY! I'm not going to bow down to _him _and beg for forgiveness!"

**Do it. Or I'll never release for you again.**

**

* * *

**

Kei stopped her speech, difficult to do since she was in the middle of a rant. To Hitsugaya's enormous surprise, she clamped her mouth shut and breathed deeply a few times, her face hidden in shadow. Finally, she faced him again, looking like she had smelt something putrid.

"I'm sorry, Hitsugaya-taichou."

His eyebrow rose skeptically at her unapologetic tone.

**You didn't mean it! You said it with such bad grace he didn't even believe you! Say it again. **_**Nicely.**_

Resisting the urge to throw Kaiyou down the nearby house's chimney, she struggled to push down her pride and tried again. She already knew she was in the wrong and had to make amends. "Hitsugaya-taichou, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you or say all those things. I was disrespectful and rude, and I apologize."

His eyebrow lowered slightly. "Fine."

"Aren't you going to say you're sorry too?"

"_What_?"

**KEI!!!**

"Nothing! I didn't say anything!" She shivered, suddenly realizing how cold it was. "Can we go in now? It's getting chilly, I'm tired, and I want to sleep."

"Captains have paperwork to do. That includes you."

"I _did _do them. Rukia slipped them in your pile so you would do them for me- wait! Does that mean that I'm still a captain?"

"Do you want to be?"

She bit her lip, indecisive and tentative. "But… I would need help with everything."

He sighed. "I give you a second chance, and you thank me by asking for more help. That's an unfair bargain."

"Fine! In return, I'll- I'll keep Matsumoto-fukutaichou away from bars."

"No one's ever accomplished that. If they did, Matsumoto would be long replaced as a vice captain by now."

"I'll deliver all the paperwork then. Matsumoto fuku-taichou never bothers to do that. Is that good enough for you?"

He didn't reply, but shunpoed off the roof as a sign of his consent.

She couldn't help calling after him, silently resolving to work twice as hard. "Thank you, Hitsugaya-taichou."

"Hurry up."

* * *

**So yes.. Kei's Zanpaku-to's name is revealed. Kaiyou means ocean... the element is obvious.**

**Kei's clueless enough to not know that Hitsu's helping her just out of the goodness of his heart. He's hiding his actions by saying she needs to do something in return for him. Because he _is _a person, and people are capable of kindness, yah? **

**Anyway, review review review! Or my beta and I will throw a pity party and cry together lol!**

**As always, TideDrop**


	10. An Ironic Plan

**Ten! Yay! Wow, guys, we're actually here. **

**Yup. A slightly changed title and a completely different summary. **

**I'm sorry: This chapter has no HitsuKei moments. Hopefully I'll have one next chapter. I kept trying to write different versions with them together in a scene but I didn't like any of them. I was horrified when one result was, in my beta's words, "95 fluff." **

**Sorry I took so long to update. Mostly it's because this story is getting horrendously hard to write. **

**Thank you: viettvnt, sunlite, Kristine93, Okibimaru, hyperactivesoccerchick, yasminkov, whiningqueen, bluewinter, and shuriken-thrower for reviewing! _Thank you_ to my beta Wry Bread, who I now have to share. **

**Quick recap of OCs:**

**14****th**** squad captain: Seishin Kei**

**14****th**** vice captain: Hissori Takara**

**Fourth traitor to Soul Society: Sora Hanabi They're on Earth.**

**I SO BADLY wanted to write a Christmas chapter for this. But I guess it'll just be delayed. I was hoping to have gotten them together by Christmas, but… Oh, well. There's always Valentines Day and White Day!**_** Happy Holidays, everyone!**_

**Enjoy!**

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"_What do you mean, they're GONE?!" _Takara yelled, the echo of her voice reverberating off the bathroom walls. 

Kei cowered slightly under her fukutaichou's accusing gaze, but held her ground. "Well, by 'gone' I mean disappeared. That was why I couldn't kill that Hollow and you had to save me."

"You could have used your Zanpaku-to, and then you wouldn't have needed saving," Takara replied sullenly, abruptly changing the subject. She always had a tendency of avoiding uncomfortable and problematic topics in conversation by simply dodging around them. Somehow, she thought that if she left the topics alone, they would slowly resolve themselves.

Unfortunately, Kei caught on immediately to what her vice captain was doing, primarily because she had the same habit. "Don't change the subject, Takara! No matter how many times we don't discuss it: _our powers won't come back_."

"How do you know that? And anyway, that's easy for you to say. You barely used them."

"And _you_ overdid it!" Kei retorted with growing frustration. "Maybe if you weren't so dependent on them, you wouldn't be mourning over them so much!"

Naturally, Takara zeroed in on the overemphasized word. "I am not _mourning_; I am stating their absence. At least I give a _damn_ that they're gone, unlike you." Kei's insensitivity was starting to push Takara's buttons.

Kei, whose temper was much shorter, lost it at her vice captain's words. "I _do _care, Takara! I'm just trying to accept it and move on! _At least_ I'm not the one overreacting and acting so upset over something so insignificant and downright stupid."

Takara opened her mouth to reply, no doubt with a nasty one. But before she could say anything, the door opened and a familiar orange-haired head poked in.

"Excuse me," Orihime nervously said, glancing worriedly at the both of them. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes." Kei replied shortly, not even bothering to look at Takara. "Everything's fine, Inoue-san. Why?"

"Um, because… because you're being rather loud and it's nighttime. Rangiku-san and Toushirou-san are sleeping. Plus the bathroom echoes…I would appreciate it if you two would quiet down."

Kei could feel her quick temper beginning to cool off. She felt slightly ashamed. "We're sorry, Inoue-san. We'll go outside."

"It's all right. But can I help in any way?" Orihime smiled, but Kei noticed a strange emotion in her eyes that the taichou couldn't place. The human girl looked troubled and stressed. Kei felt something pulling at her to say something about Orihime's worried expression, but decided not to.

"No, everything's okay. Come on, Takara." Her vice captain wordlessly followed her out, looking just as embarrassed.

Once the door had closed behind them, the two stood wordlessly, eyes trained on the cement. Oddly, though they had plenty of words to say before the interruption, they were wordless now.

Kei finally spoke. "Well… what can we do now?"

Takara sighed. "Nothing. We have no idea how we got our powers, so we can't get them back unless we know that…"

Kei watched a crow marching along the empty street. Her anger, so quick to rise, had completely faded. "Yeah… Takara? I'm so sorry about what I said. And I'm glad you saved me. Thank you."

Takara scuffed the ground with the tip of her shoe. "Yeah, I'm sorry too. But as for the saving thing… you would do the same for me, so don't keep going on about it."

Her taichou smiled. "Okay. And Takara? You seriously need to stop swearing. It's vulgar."

"Oh, stop it. Leave me and my filthy mouth alone."

* * *

A lone girl strolled along the otherwise empty sidewalk of a main street, interestedly watching the world around her. Noting the steadily sinking sun, she pulled on the jacket that had been looped around her waist. A sudden breeze ruffled her long blonde hair, blowing strands into her face. Impatiently pushing them away, she hurriedly answered her cell phone, which had been vibrating insistently a few moments before. "Hello?" 

"Hanabi. I have a mission for you."

She almost squealed with delight at the sound of his voice, but remembered just in time that she was supposed to act mature. Not wanting him to think her a child, she replied with an almost forced calm, "Hai, Aizen-sama."

"You remember that talk we had a few weeks ago?"

"Somewhat." Despite her standoffish answer, she could recite the said conversation word for word. Heck, she had memorized every single "talk" they had ever shared.

"Well, then, you should remember telling me about your two childhood friends, Kei and Takara?"

"Yes…" She had no idea where he was going with the topic. He wasn't the type to make small talk. But she knew that if she waited, he would get to the point. That was one of the many reasons she admired him: his offhanded directness.

"I began to monitor them, starting from when they were still in Soul Society. Our monitoring devices have been malfunctioning slightly, but I have seen enough. And I must admit, I can see potential uses for their powers. If we acquire one of those girls, it will be quite easy to infiltrate Yamamoto's mind, read his plans, and make an effective counterattack."

The girl was now frowning slightly in distaste at his words, her expression unknown to anyone but herself. She could understand the logic behind his plot, but still. After her catty exchange with Kei and Takara, she was quite unhappy at the possibility of having to share living space with them.

Also, knowing that Aizen would act courteously to the two prisoners in order to soften them down, she couldn't ignore the jealous twinge in her stomach. Not that he mistreated her; she just disliked the fact that _they_ would be his first priority.

But she wanted to please him. And that was what made her say, "When do you want them?"

He chuckled. If Hitsugaya was there, he would have bristled at the sound, instead of intently tuning in to the noise like she was doing. "Hanabi. You misunderstood me, it seems. We do not need the both of them; one girl is sufficient for our plans. You have the privilege of choosing our future guest."

All right. She still wasn't pleased at the thought of one of her ex friends invading Las Noches, but one was better than two. "Okay."

Her fingers were about to snap the phone closed, since she thought he was done giving orders. But his voice spoke once more.

"Hanabi."

"Yes?" She replied, clutching the device to her ear as she tried to juggle the two schoolbooks in her arms that were threatening to splat onto the sidewalk.

"Like I said, pick one. But as for the other… we cannot risk Soul Society employing her to use our tactics against us. Please dispose of her promptly and quietly."

To her horror, she could feel a sick sensation rising in her stomach. She felt light headed, faint. Why did she feel this way? She didn't get it. Swallowing too fast, she choked on her own spit.

"Please send word concerning your progress in a week." His calm voice easily carried over her desperate coughs. "Good bye."

There was a soft _click_ as he hung up.

* * *

**Whoo, my chapters are getting wordier and wordier. And longer and longer.**

**Hanabi has the weirdest relationship with Aizen right now… admiration/respect/obsessiveness/love/hate… **

**Isn't it interesting how arguments usually start over something small, and then spiral off into personal accusations? **

**Thanks for reading! As always, review!**

**-Tide**


	11. Accountability

**Going through a major rut. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Not good. Not good.**

**Happy New Year, everyone! Thanks for the six reviews; it is much appreciated!**

**Arigato Wry Bread, who has taken the time off her holidays to read my chapters. Croissants are a type of bread, and they contain chocolate, don't they? Yes they do….**

**Recap of OCs:**

**Seishin Kei: 14****th**** division captain**

**Hissori Takara: 14****th**** division vice captain**

**Sora Hanabi: Fourth traitor to Soul Society**

**Excerpts are taken from Bleach 141, one of my favorite episodes! **

**Note: In the anime/manga, Ichigo was supposed to be in bed all beat up by Grimmjow, but I just decided to tweak it a little.**

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**

Hitsugaya cursed for what felt like the millionth time the next evening. His fingers were simply not cooperating, and kept failing him on the quest to clock the game on his cell phone. He thought sitting out on the rooftop would give him the quiet concentration he needed to advance to the next level.

So much for that.

"Hitsugaya-taichou?"

He turned around. Kei was standing right behind him, looking anxious. She _always _looked anxious. It was annoying, but the worst part was when she wore that look, it reminded him of Hinamori, who was forever timid and nervous.

He vaguely remembered Hinamori stating in a past conversation that she and Kei had become friends. Well, that was no surprise. They had been in the same squad; they were bound to find each other and click because of their similarities.

"Hitsugaya-taichou?" The girl tried again, noticing that he wasn't replying. Her hands twisted nervously as she spoke. Pretty soon they would be knotted together from so much intertwining, he thought. "Um… can I talk to you for a second? It's pretty important…"

The snowball sighed. He didn't want to talk to her, due to the fact he was losing to a hunk of metal and frustrated because of it. But at the rate he was going, he wasn't going to progress much on his game anyway. "What do you want?"

Kei found herself still intimidated by his cold manner, despite having talked to him at least once before. She had never made the effort to talk to someone like him. That was why it had taken her so much time to pull her courage together. "I- got a message from Yamamoto. It says that- my squad's coming in a week."

"So?" He asked coolly.

She looked about ready to turn around and run away from him. "Um- you said yesterday evening that- that you would help me with my division, so- so I was just asking to make sure…" Her dark eyes darted to the roof tiles. "But if you can't or- if you don't want to- I'll understand. I mean- I know I'll be hard to work with, and, you know…" Her feeble voice trailed off.

She certainly had severe self esteem issues. It was almost like she expected him to bail out on her.

What a pathetic person she must imagine herself to be.

When he still said nothing, she continued to ramble on. "I'm so sorry about annoying you, Hitsugaya-taichou! But I felt so bad about asking for your help that I came out here, just to make sure, because I know you're busy with things, and you probably don't really want to help me, it's just you feel like you need to because-"

He cut her off, already tired of her babbling. He'd had to put up with Hinamori's often, and had learned the telltale signs. "If you're going to treat your squad like you're treating me now, they'll never respect you."

She blinked at his unexpected input, temporarily taken aback. "H-huh?" was her intelligent response.

His impassive green orbs were now focused on the setting sun's last rays. "You need to stop that habit of apologizing for everything you do, or people will just see you as a doormat and walk all over you for the rest of your life."

He guessed that she didn't seem the type who took criticism well, and wasn't disappointed. Indeed, her expression seemed to cloud over for a moment, and it looked like she was going to yell at him like she had the day before. But instead, her face took on a look of frustration and defeat.

"People _already _think of me as a doormat, Hitsugaya-taichou," she replied with an exasperated sigh. "And that's because I _am_ one." Dejectedly, she plopped down next to him on the tiled floor. "People are always telling me I need to be more assertive and confident and whatnot, but I've tried to change so many times and it's never worked! And I know I have to work even harder to become so, now that I'm a captain! You're lucky that you didn't need to change a thing about yourself for this job! You're already logical and impartial and cold."

Unexpectedly, she gave him a rather steely look. "How do you do it?" she demanded suddenly. "Act so impassive and unemotional, I mean."

"That's the way I am."

"No, that's not what I mean," she replied, still in an extremely direct voice. "Fine, let me reword it: How do you hide your emotions so well? Your coldness may help your reputation as a taichou, but I've never understood how you've kept it up. People have feelings, and that doesn't exclude you!"

"I'm sure people like it better when I'm not a mushy, sentimental mess of a person," the snowball retorted.

"Is that why you don't ever let down your guard? _Image_?" she scoffed. "Would it kill you to drop it just once? Around a certain person, maybe?"

"How I act is none of your business!" he snapped, feeling annoyance starting to rise.

Kei almost screamed with frustration that was now directed at him. Biting her lip, she barely contained her temper. "Don't you _understand_?" she said, in a voice of forced calm. "_Hinamori_! Why didn't you ever tell her you liked her? I was almost going to tell her myself, because you let yourself get in the way for far too long! She's with Kira now, but it could have turned out differently if you did something about it! In fact, it's so simple I shouldn't even _need _to tell you this! Don't you realize?"

He failed to reply. "Well? Don't you?" she asked, relentlessly. They were even now, since he had just berated her about _her _faults. Let him suffer a little!

Still Hitsugaya said nothing, his eyes no longer visible in the dark. In those crucial minutes, Kei felt her anger receding again, exactly like it did when she argued with Takara: dropping to the point of embarrassment and guilt once more. After a few more minutes of silence, she couldn't bear the tenseness any longer. "Well?" she prodded again, sounding gentler now and much more like the shy Kei everyone saw.

Finally the snowball spoke to the stars, still choosing to look away from her. "You're going to have to do better than that. Temporary assertiveness isn't going to get you anywhere, especially if you only display it when provoked or around friends."

For the second time during that conversation, Kei was at a loss. "H-huh?" she said again, confused. She didn't know whether to be relieved that he was still speaking to her, or to get mad again because he was changing the subject and not admitting to his weakness, like she had done.

"You heard me, Seishin."

Hmm. He appeared to be as stubborn as her, and most unlikely to admit the truth any time soon. Deciding to take his silence as his consent, she felt her lips curve into a smile as she said, "Yeah, Hitsugaya? Well, so do you. Hiding your feelings all the time isn't going to get you anywhere, either."

"Taichous!" A familiar voice called down below, interrupting their conversation.

"Matsumoto-fukutaichou?" Kei called back, looking over the edge of the roof. "Is something the matter?"

"It's Orihime. She's supposed to be in Soul Society, but Rukia's been trying to reach her all day and she's not responding." The vice captain's voice sounded worried. "Hissori-fukutaichou's going around the city to see if she can find any traces of Orihime's reiatsu, but I'm getting a bit nervous."

"Yamamoto said she was going to be escorted to Soul Society by armed guards," Hitsugaya said.

"I know. But things don't feel quite right."

"I don't think there's much we can do just about now," Kei called back, now slightly concerned as well. "So there's not much point in worrying."

"I suppose," Matsumoto said, sounding as if she was trying to convince herself of the fact. "We're probably just overreacting, aren't we?"

"Probably," the female taichou replied. "Are you cooking something, Matsumoto-fukutaichou? I can smell something coming from the house."

"Yes! It's a cake, and I made up the recipe! The only problem is, I need someone to taste it. Orihime's not here, and Hissori-fukutaichou and taichou said no, so how about it, Seishin-taichou?"

"Okay!" Kei called back, flattered by the invitation and thus temporarily forgetting about Matsumoto's _unusual_ taste. "Just give me one more minute!"

She turned back to Hitsugaya, who was surveying her with an astonished look. "What?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"You _do _know why Hissori and I refused, right?"

She blinked, still innocent. "No… why? Why didn't you agree? I'm sure Matsumoto's cooking will be perfectly- oh, gosh!" The truth conveniently hit her then. Clapping her hand to her forehead, she moaned in horror. "Oh, no! What do I do?"

He couldn't help smirking at her misfortune. "If you don't die from the food she feeds you, I expect you'll spend at least three days in the latrine."

"How mean of you!" she exclaimed, her navy eyes wide. "Quick, help me get out of this! I can't believe I forgot!"

"Taichou!" Matsumoto called once more. "Come on, don't be left out! I've given you a special treat: you can taste the left over cake batter!"

The open door illuminated the first smile he had ever seen from Kei. "I won't be alone in my suffering!" she cried happily, seizing his arm. "Hurry inside, before she changes her mind and lets you off!"

"Why me?" The snowball groaned.

* * *

Flashback: the previous evening

"_For laundry, the towels go in the right corner of the dresser. Put clean towels in the bottom and stack them. Make sure to put the burnable garbage out before 8:00 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays…" Orihime, seated at the small round table, was busily scribbling in a notebook. _

"_Okay, that's about everything!" she announced triumphantly a few minutes later, using her fingers to count the chores and make sure she hadn't missed anything. "Rangiku-san and Toushirou-kun are helpless on their own…"_

_The silver bracelet around her wrist sparkled in the dim lamplight, catching her eye. It reminded her of Ulquiorra's final words._

"_We will meet at midnight. Finish up whatever business you have and meet me at the designated area. Don't forget. You can only say farewell to one person."_

_Silently, she rose and left, the notebook still lying open on the table. Four words were written at the bottom of the page:_

"_Good bye, halcyon days."_

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**Next Chapter Preview! (words subject to change):**

_**Resolutely, Hanabi aimed her Zanpaku-to at the retreating figure and charged.**_

_**All was quiet except for the sound of a body hitting the ground.**_

**Sorry, only two sentences! But you'll find out what happens next chapter! **

**Hm, so now in a way, Hitsu and Kei are accountable for each other. That's how people need to be in order to achieve their goals, I think- to depend on others as well as themselves.**

**Review please! They encourage me greatly! **

**-Always, Tide**


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